Electrical connecter



Aug. 25, 1936. J. wERTzHEIsx-:R

ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Filed May 25, 1935 IyENTOR ATTORNE Patented Aug.25, 1936 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Joseph Wertzheiser, Newark,N. J., assignor to Hatfield Wire & Cable Co., Hillside, N. J.

Application May 23, 1935, Serial No. 22,944

12 Claims. (Cl. 173-332) This invention relates to anelectrical'connecter especially adapted for use in connection with flatirons or heating devices having contacts of the type such as are nowordinarily used on electric flat irons.

In electrical connecters of the type described, the device is usuallymade of two parts of suitable insulating material and various means haveheretofore been proposed and used for holding these insulating partstogether. Some of the earlier devices used machinev screws and nuts,while later devices have utilized various types of external spring clipsspanning both members. The first type has certain objections, one ofwhich is that the nuts become loosened and the parts separate or fallapart entirely. Inthe external spring clip type of fastening means, thesprings are accidentally hit and knocked off the connecterallowing thepieces to fall apart. Furthermore, with the exterior type of springclip, as the flat iron is heated up in use, the heat is conveyed to theconnecter and the spring clips actually get hot enough to burn thefingers of an operator when pulling the connecter from the iron.

It is one of the objects of my present inventionl to provide a fasteningmeans which is normally positioned within the confines or interiorportions of the insulating parts, so that it or they cannot beaccidentally knocked out of place, and at the same time eliminates thepossibility of burned lingers on the hand of the operator. Since thefastening means are encompassed within the parts of the connecter, theexterior appearance of the connecter is enhanced.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electrical connecterwhich is cheap to manufacture and one that is easily assembled anddisassembled, yet when in assembled condition, the parts are securelyheld in operative position.

My improved construction will be readily understood by reference to theannexed drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan'view, approximately twice the size, of the connecterin assembled condition, without the connecting cord.

Figure 2 is a section on the lline 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of the terminal or contact end of the connecter.

Figure 4 is a partial, sectional view of the lower portion of Figure 2,but on a scale twice the size of Figure 2, showing the clamping devicein four stages of its assembly.

Figure 5 is a view approximately four times the size of the clampingdevice for holding the insulating parts together.

In the different views, I and 2 are members of suitable insulatingmaterial which, for low cost in manufacture, are preferably madesubstan- 5 tially identical or symmetrical, thereby comprising twocomplementary cooperative parts. The insulating parts I and 2 may havevarious outside design features which, however, are not the subjectmatter of the present application. The 10 parts I and 2 have recesses 3,4 and 5 at the top portions to receive the usual guard spring around thecord carrying the electrical conductors to the contact members 6 and 1which are positioned in lateral spaced relation in the lower portion of15 the connecter. The contact parts 6 and 1 are usually made of twopieces formed and positioned within the parts I and 2 so as to flexiblyengage the contact prongs on the flat iron. The contact parts 6 and 1are usually-fastened to- 20 gether at their'inner ends by a clampingscrew (not shown) which also acts to clamp the conductor to theterminals. The flexibility at the exterior .end of the contact parts 6and 1 may be attained in several ways. First, by having sufll- 25 cientclearance space around the contact parts 6 and 1 so that they willspread sufciently without engaging the interior parts of the insulatorsin which they are carried as the connecter is pushed over the contactprongs of the iron. An- 30 other way is to hold the contact parts 6 and1 closely together by the material of the pieces I and 2, and allow theparts I and 2 to spread under the tension of the spring-holding clamps.My invention can be applied to either type of con- 35 struction.

In my improved means for holding the parts I and 2 securely together, Ihave provided a clamp 8, shown in Figure 5, whichhas an eye portion 9'extending into hook-shaped arms I0 40 and II, thereby forming atong-like shaped clamp. The member 8 is made of a material which iscapable of taking and retaining a spring tension. I prefer to use two ofthe clamps 8, and in order to get them into normal locking position asshown in Figure 2, I have provided each of the parts I and 2 withtransverse orifices or port holes I2 and interior spaces I3; that is tosay, the spaces I3 are within the material of the insulators I and 2,being below the outer surfaces or confines thereof. The interior of themembers I and 2 is provided with portions I4 which help form part of theorifices I2. The parts I4 have formations or surfaces I5, I6 and I1which act in the naturel of cam surfaces, over median line of theconnecter.

`which lone end, for jenample II, of thel clamp 8 is adapted to ridewhen the clamp 8 is-forced into locking position. .l

'Ihe various steps assumed by the clamp 8 are outlined in Figure 4. Theclamp is first placed in the position shown by the dotted lines a,wherein the end II of the clamp engages the cam surface I 5. On pressurebeing applied to the clamp 8, it takes up the position b, inl which theeye portion 9 rides on the surface I8 forming the outer surface of theorices I2, and the portio'n II then passes to the cam surface I6. Conytinued pressure on the clamp 8 moves it to the position c, in which theend II is justpassing over. the cam surface I'I. Due to the eye portion9 engaging the surface I8 and the portion '-II of -the clamp engagingthe cam surfaces as interior of the insulating members I and 2, so

that they cannot be accidentally hit and knocked out of position. Iprefer to use two of the clamps 8 as shown in Figure 2, located inreverse position; that is to say, with the hook ends I8 and I Ipresented toward each other, but in longitudinal spaced arrangementsubstantially on the When it is ldesired to take the connecter apart,the clamps 8 may be reached through the transverse orifices I2 andeither pushed, by means of the eyelet portion 9, into reverse directionto the various positions c, b, a, shown in Figure 4; or, as I prefer, byplacing a-suitable tool, such as a screw driver, at the point 20 andpulling the end II around the cam surfaces in the reverse orderindicated.

Since the parts I and 2 are moulded in a suitable die, the cam surfacesI5, I6 and I 1 and the locking formation I9 are easily secured. Theparts I and 2 may also be provided with recesses 2| to receive a dowelpin so the parts I and 2 may be more easily assembled and insuredagainst mis-alignment.

Since the clamps 8 are inexpensive to manufacture, I prefer to use twoof them in the manner indicated, although one will hold the partstogether very securely. Because the clamps 8 are housed within theinsulating parts I and 2 of the connecter, they cannot be accidentallymoved out of position or cause any burns to the fingers of the operator,and even if the clamps should become so hot as to lose their temper, ahardly probable case, they would not drop out because the portion 9striking on the surface I8 would prevent their turning sufficiently ofthemselves to allow them to pass out of the port holes I2. It will beobserved from the drawing and from what has been said, that the eyeportion 9 of the clamp 8, wherein resides the greater portion of thetension of the clamp, when in locking position, as shown in full linesin Figure 4 and also in Figure 2, is free from contact with the amountofheat which the clamps pick up by direct contact with the material ofthe plug.

While I have shown a preferred way of making the clamps 8, the shape maybe varied.. as well as the .cooperative formations of the parts I and 2.v

VWhat I claim is: v

1'.'An electric connecteriincluding a pair complementary insulatingmembers having cer- .taininterior recesses to receive contact membersand vhaving' a pair'of spaced transverse openings through saidinsulating members, parts below the outer surface of ysaid insulatedmembers adjacent said openings being formed to assist in thel insertionand holding of clamps, and spring clamps formed to cooperate with saidparts to engage the same to clamp said insulating members together.

2. An electric connecter including a pair of complementary insulatingmembers having certain interior recesses to receive contact members andhaving a pair of spaced transverse openings through said insulatingmembers' locatedl substantially on the median line of the con? necter,and a pair of spring clamps insertable through said openings andengaging locking portions in said insulating members, said locking-vportions being below the outer surface sufllcient ly so the clamps, wheninlocking position, are also below the outer surface of said insulatingmembers.

3. An electric connecter including a pair of complementary insulatingmembers having cerinsulating members and engaging formations below theouter surface of said members for clamping the members together, saidmembers having spaces and orifices leading to said formations forpassing said clamps into clamping position.

5. An -electric connecter including a pair of complementary insulatingmembers having certain interior recesses to receive contact members, atleast one spring clamp located entirely within the confines of saidinsulating members for clamping them together, at least one of saidmembers having an exterior orifice therein leading into the interiorvofsaid members, saldorice serving as the means for passing said clamp intoits clamping position and also for withdrawing the clamp. v

6. An electric connecter including a pair of complementary insulatingmembers hav'ng cer- ,Y

tain interior recesses to receive contact membersnspring clamps havingan eye portion ex-4 tending into hook-shaped arms, said clamps beingpositioned in spaced relation entirely withinsthe confines of saidmembers with the hook-shapedv arms embracing enlargements below'thesurface of said members to hold said members together,

said members having transverse orices for passing the clamps from eitherside of the connecter into their clamping position, the eye portions ofthrough said orifices to force them from clamping position.

7. A connecter as set forth in claim 6, further characterized in thatthe surfaces of said enlargements form parts of said transverse orificesand have cam surfaces which cooperate with the opposite sides of saidorifices to set the clamps under tension to cause them to snap intoplace when they are forced toward locking position.

8. An electrical connecter including a pair of separable `insulatingmembers, metallic contact parts housed in lateral spaced relation withinsaid .ing certain interior recesses to receive contact members, each ofsaid insulating members having at least one transverse port holearranged to align with the port hole in the other insulating member whenthe insulating members are in assembled position, each of saidinsulating members having a recess opening` into its port hole, thewalls of parts of said recesses and port holes having formations tocooperate with a spring clamp and a spring-clamp formed to cooperatewith said recess walls to engage the same to clamp said insulatingmembers together.

10. A connecter as set forth in claim 9, further lcharacterized in thatthe port holes are dimensioned so as to at least assist in putting the 5clamp under tension as it is forced into locking position as well as toprevent the clamp from falling out of the connecter should it lose itstension.

11. A connecter as set forth in claim 9, further 10 characterized inthat the port holes are dimensioned so as to at least assist in puttingthe clamp under tension as it is forced to locking position, but toleave the tension end of the clamp free from contact with the wall ofthe port hole l5 after the clamp is moved to locking position.

12. An electrical connecter including a pair of separable insulatingmembers, metallic contact parts housed in lateral spaced relation withinsaid members, at least one spring clamp spaced 20 entirely within the`confines of the connecter members, which have formations well below theouter surface thereof to receive said clamp to hold said memberstogether, said members having port holes forming a transverse orificewhen 25 the insulating members are together, said insulating membersalso having spaces leading to said formations whereby the clamp may bepassed into or Withdrawn from clamping position, only a portion of theclamp being in actual contact with 30 the said formations, the tensionend of the clamp being freely positioned in said transverse orifice forthe purpose described.

JOSEPH WERTZHEISER.

